Somebody to Love
by mystic.x.o.pip
Summary: Post “Wheels”. Tina's injury might be just the thing to bring her and Artie back together. Tina/Artie. FUTURE FLUFF!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Post "Wheels". Tina is determined to fix things with Artie, even if he feels he can't trust her anymore. Tina/Artie. FUTURE FLUFF!

Disclaimer: I WISH I owned glee, then life would be amazing. I would totally snag Artie for myself, because he's just so darn cute! But alas.

* * *

'_This is stupid'_ Tina thought to herself as she crossed her legs while sitting on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the choir room during practice. She looked over to the boy in the wheelchair and cocked her head in a confused fashion. 'Why do I like him anyways?'

She knew perfectly well the reason why she had a crush on Artie. He had always been kind to her, flashing her a smile in the hallways, and constantly striking up a conversation with her in rehearsal. She had always been shy, but she didn't have to be around him. She returned the favour by pushing him around and keeping him company. As outcast-ish as they were, they could always rely on each other for support. The related to each other because of their "flaws". She didn't see them as flaws, however. She saw her stutter as a shield because she was too shy to establish conversations with her peers. She didn't agree that Artie's disability was a fault, though. She admired his struggles in everyday life. She believed that coping with what you have makes you a stronger person, and Artie was a clear-cut example. He beat himself up because of it, but Tina didn't see it that way.

He noticed her looking at him, and quickly looked down to adjust his suspenders. She sighed heavily and fidgeted with a couple strands of her hair that was dyed a neon shade of blue.

'_Now I don't know if we can even be friends'_, she contemplated the situation to herself. Only a week ago, they had shared a kiss after an intense wheelchair race down the hall. It was a magical moment for both of them, she was sure of that. She remembered his sheepish expression after she had pulled away from him, satisfied with that had happened. However, it all went downhill from there. She confessed her stutter wasn't real, and she would never forget the look on his face.

'_Now you get to be normal, while I stay in this chair. I really thought we had something in common.'_ And with that, he wheeled himself angrily down the hallway, leaving her in the dust.

Tina mentally kicked herself as she remembered the incident. Kurt, shot her a worried glance, which she chose to ignore. She didn't like the attention, even if she had started to form bonds with the rest of the members from New Directions.

"Everything alright, Tina?" Mr. Schue has popped her daydream bubble, and she quickly sat up straight in her chair. She looked around and saw that everyone was now staring at her, which made the situation more awkward.

"Y-yes Mr. Schue. E-everth-thing is gr-reat." She stuttering, slumping back in her chair. Mr. Schuester nodded and continued rambling on about whatever it was that he was talking about. She looked over to Artie, and saw that he was giving her a disapproving looking. More like a disgusted look, which translated the fact that he knew she was faking and was majorly guilt-tripping her.

She was not going to let this get to her. She has built up a friendship with Artie, and was determined to get it back to how they were, with or without the romance. If all she could get out of this was a friendship, she was fine with that. He would be too much to lose, otherwise. And as much as he would hate to admit it, she knew that he needed her too, in some way.

"So this week we're going to be singing ballads. It's the perfect way to express our emotions through songs." Mr. Schuester rambled on. There was a buzz among the other kids, indicating that they were excited by the idea. Tina watched as Rachel bounded from her chair and joined Mr. Schuester at the piano, ready to demonstrate how to properly sing a ballad to your partner. Once they started, she couldn't help but get caught up in the words and emotions.

_My love,  
There's only you in my life  
The only thing that's right_

_My first love, (yeah)  
You're every breath that I take  
You're every step I make_

_And I  
(And I-I-I)  
I want to share  
All my love with you  
No one else will do...  
(uuuuuh uuuh)_

She looked over at Artie. To her surprise, he was listening intently, swaying along to the beat. He then looked in her direction, which caused her automatically to look down in embarrassment. With reddened cheeks, she looked back, and saw that he flashed her a toothy grin, which quickly disappeared. She smiled at this bittersweet sentiment. As the song drew to a close, Mr. Schue dismissed the club and everyone headed to the door. Tina quickly got up and shuffled over to Artie and grabbed the handle of his wheelchair so that he couldn't escape.

"Hey, let go!" he grunted, trying to wheel away, but was unsuccessful. He looked up to find Tina staring at him. "Oh, it's you."

Her heart immediately sank at his monotonous greeting. However, she was determined to make things right. "I saw you smiling back there" she commented softly. "Does that mean you forgive me and we can be friends?"

He looked pensive for a moment, then turned to face her. "I don't know, faking a stutter and lying about it is pretty big. At least you get to be normal now." He tried to push her hand off the handle, but her other hand landed on top of his, preventing his actions. Both stopped to look at one another, and they're eyes locked. For a moment, all Tina wanted to do was brush Artie's hair out of his eyes and kiss him, but was unsure of how he would react. After a couple seconds, he pulled his hand out from in between her palms. "I have to go", he mumbled.

"O-o-okay" she managed to spit out, a little stunned by his response.

"You can quit that you know. You're not fooling me." And with that, Artie wheeled himself out of the choir room, leaving Tina in silence.

* * *

Hey guys! This is my first glee fic, so go easy! As much as a love a good Puckleberry story, I have to admit there is a lack of Artie/Tina fics out there, and I just love the pairing. What will Tina do in order to get Artie back in her life? Stay tuned to find out!

*pip


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and story alerts etc! Makes me feel special I've been cruising the glee fanfics for a while now and have come across some really good ones, and it made me realize I have a lot to compete with and be original haha. Onward I say!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, and it makes me sad.

* * *

Tina found herself in the girl's washroom along with Mercedes, Rachel and surprisingly Kurt. He sat on a chair in the corner with his arms crossed over his Alexander McQueen sweater, afraid that his wardrobe would be ruined from anything in this small, enclosed space. Mercedes was tending to her weave, eyeing Kurt in the mirror as they discussed the latest fashion show on TV last night. Rachel, however, had just changed outfits and was drying her hair under the hand-dryers next to the sink. Tina just simply re-applied her rosy pink eye shadow.

"Remind me again why you're in here?" Rachel yelled in Kurt's direction before the dryer automatically stopped and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Mercedes let out an exasperated sigh, as if his presence would have been obvious by now.

"Don't go hatin' on my man Kurt. He can be in here if he wants" she snapped, and Rachel took a couple steps back, clearly surprised.

"It's alright, Mercedes. I'm just in here because I would not take one step into that filthy, rat infested room that is the guy's washroom" Kurt giggled. "Besides, I like hanging out with you guys instead of those bullies. You know, when neither of you are at each other's throats. And I like the gossip" He smiled, getting up from his seat and joining the girls at the mirror to examine his perfectly combed hair. Tina noticed Rachel eyeing the pile of clothes on top of her backpack that she had just changed out of.

"Another s-slushie f-facial?" she stuttered. Mercedes and Kurt both looked at Rachel, who was blushing furiously.

"Unfortunately. Those neanderthals on the hockey team aren't aware of my star quality and feel threatened."

"At least you don't have to worry about Puck, Mike or Matt, since they're in Glee." Mercedes chimed in, trying to lighten the situation. "You would think that they would tell the rest of the athletes in this school to back off our club."

"They're just as much of outcasts as we are, so it doesn't make a difference", Kurt added, brushing off some lint from his sweater, which he was not pleased about. "But we know how you feel, we've all gotten them."

"Really?" Rachel was relieved that she wasn't the only one who took the beating.

"Yeah, I got slushied right after I told the guys I didn't want to be part of the football team any more, since it was interfering with rehearsal" Kurt smiled, reminiscing about his short-lived career as a kicker for the football team. "Besides, sweating that much in one day was just _horrible_."

"And I got one in the face when I told one of the guys on the football team how horrible his outfit was" Mercedes giggled, and gave Kurt a high-five. "Anyways, I'll see you guys at rehearsal." With that, she turned to go out the door, with Kurt right on her heels. After a moment of silence, Tina turned to go, but Rachel stopped her.

"Hey Tina?" She was caught off-guard. Was Rachel actually talking to her? She thought this whole time Rachel couldn't stand her because of the one solo she was deprived and Tina had a chance of singing instead.

"Y-yeah?" she turned to face the starlet.

"I know it's none of my business, but along with the fact that I'm very talented, I'm also very observant about the rest of glee club." She flashed her million-dollar smile, which made Tina cringe just as bit. "Is something going on between you and Artie?" Tina was taken back in surprise. Since when did Rachel care? And was it _that_ obvious that Artie wouldn't talk to her?

"H-how do you mean?" she spat out, not knowing what else to say.

"Well, I've noticed you spend all your time together in glee. But lately, since our wheel-chair number, you guys seem distant is all." Rachel claimed sheepishly, hoping not to offend her. Tina looked at her disbelievingly.

'_I guess it was that obvious',_ she thought, not knowing how to respond. First off, her heart still ached whenever she thought about that incident. Second, she didn't like the idea of people being concerned about her. The reason she made up the stutter was so that people wouldn't get too close to her, to be her friend, to love her. "N-no. We're just b-busy with school….and s-stuff" she muttered, and Rachel seemed to accept this. Tina always thought she was too self-absorbed with her own stardom to care, anyways.

As Tina left the bathroom, all flustered after the awkward conversation with Rachel, she scanned the hallway. It was currently the break between classes, so the hallway was overcrowded with students by their lockers or walking past her in huge hoards. She merged with the crowd in order to get to her next class. Soon, she passed a group of hockey players, or football players, she wasn't sure. Next thing she knew, one of them had yelled something out to her.

"Hey geek!" She looked up from her shoes and noticed a rather tall, broad football player with a slushie in his hand. Before she could run away or even cover her face, the ice-cold corn-syrup beverage was thrown into her face. Temporarily blinded by the slushie, all she could hear was the laughter of the football player and his friends. She tried to feel her way around for a wall to hang on to, but was not successful. As she stumbled away from the crowd, still partly blinded, her foot slid across a puddle of slush and sent her crashing to the ground and there was a faint crack, which seemed to come from her ankle. The laughter didn't stop.

'_Just my luck_.' She thought bleakly.

* * *

"Tina?"

Although she hadn't gotten all of the syrup out of her eye, she recognized the voice as Kurt's. He knelt down beside her once the crowd had moved along and tried helping her to her feet. She cringed at the pain.

"K-kurt! Stop! I t-think it's broken, or t-twisted." She whimpered. She felt so stupid right now, covered in slushie and not able to get up by herself. Kurt nodded and pondered something for a moment.

"Well, we can't take you to the nurse looking like this, but I can't carry you by myself. I'm a performer, not an athlete. I wouldn't have that build in a million years" They both laughed. Soon after, Kurt rang up Mercedes and she was beside them in a flash.

"Mercedes, you grab her arms and I'll grab her legs. I don't want the slush to ruin this sweater" Kurt suggested and they both hauled Tina to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Half an hour later, the three of them emerged from the bathroom. It had taken that long because Tina's hair was long and thick and the slush had managed to soak her all the way to the roots. The resumed the same position as before, Mercedes at the helm and Kurt bringing up the rear. Tina giggled at the thought of what the three of them must have looked like. Immediately her thoughts wandered to Artie, and got her thinking how easy it would be if she herself had a wheelchair, what with the state she was in. Her thoughts were interrupted as both Kurt and Mercedes lost their grip and she tumbled to the floor with a _thud_.

"There is no way we are going to get you all the way to the nurse's office." Kurt obviously pointed out. "Who do we know that could carry you single-handedly"?

"F-finn?" It was the first person Tina could think of, since he was super tall and on the football team. Speaking of the devil, the three of them were not that far from where Finn and Quinn were chatting. "Finn!" she decided to yell, hoping to get his attention. He craned his neck above Quinn's head and saw the asian girl, sprawled on the floor with Kurt and Mercedes in tow. He whispered something to Quinn and rushed over.

"Hey, what's up guys?" he asked, giving Tina the once over. She grunted and managed to pull herself up so that she was sitting.

"F-football players. S-slushie. _Oww_". Tina blushed, realizing how stupid she must have sounded. Again, she didn't like people being concerned about her, but this was no time to be self-conscious.

"Yeah, white boy. Your team pummeled her with slush and now she's got a sprained ankle." Mercedes grunted, ready to take him down. Kurt intervened, hoping that Mercedes wouldn't explode. Finn gave Tina an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry Tina. Is there anything I can do?"

"You could carry her to nurse's office, since Mercedes and I aren't capable" Kurt suggested. Finn thought about it and finally agreed to help Tina in need.

After a couple minutes of figuring out a plan, Tina was lifted off the ground and hauled onto Finn's back, piggy-back style. Afterwards, Kurt and Mercedes had to get to class, but promised they would check up on her later, if not before glee that afternoon. Tina waved them off and she and Finn started down the hallway.

"You know, this is not so bad. Besides, I've twisted my ankle a couple of times during football season. It'll be better in a week." Finn reassured Tina, who just mumbled something nervously under her breath.

As they turned the corner, Tina saw the last people in the world she thought she would see: Artie. He was by his locker, retrieving and setting textbooks on his lap before class. She tried not to make eye contact, but Finn, being as friendly and un-observant as he was, decided to greet him anyway.

"Hey Artie" the handi-capped teen turned to look up at the sight of Finn and Tina, on his back. At first he was taken aback because the scene seemed to scream _couple_, but the pained look on Tina's face made him think otherwise.

"Hey Finn, where are you guys going?"

"Nurse's office."

"Ah." The response he gave made Tina's stomach churn. She was hoping he would be a little more sympathetic, but that was a pipe dream. With that, Finn went along on his mission to get Tina to the nurse's office. Once they got there, Tina was placed on the bed and Finn left to go to class. While she waited for the nurse to attend to her, Tina could swear she heard the squeak of wheels coming to a halt outside of the door.

* * *

Hope you guys liked that chapter! Will Tina get better? How Artie ever forgive her!?

OH THE SUSPENSE! Anywho, you know what to do, REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks so much for the reviews guys! It means a lot, considering how hard I'm trying to stick to the characters and not go too OOC. Not to worry, fluff is coming! However, we know that Artie is pretty stubborn and won't give in easily. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. End of story.

* * *

"Well, looks like you've got yourself a twisted ankle." The nurse frowned, propping Tina's ankle on top of the pillow. Tina scrunched her nose and tried to position herself so she wouldn't feel the pain. "That means that you've got to stay off this ankle for a week, for it can heal properly. No sports or any other vigorous activities". She warned.

"W-what about Glee?" she stuttered, but went unheard since the nurse left the room to retrieve some bandage. Tina sat in silence, dangling her other foot off the edge of the bed. The nurse's words echoed in her head: _No vigorous activities…_

'_Glee isn't really that vigorous. Maybe I'll ask Mr. Schuester if I can sit out today' _she pondered until her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of someone at the door. She looked up to see a gloved hand in the doorway, ready to knock on the open door. After three taps, there was silence. Tina was unsure about inviting him in, but it's not like she could run away at this point.

"C-come in." Sure enough, Artie poked his head around the corner and wheeled himself into the nurse's office. He had a serious look on his face as he parked himself beside the bed, alongside Tina's dangling foot. The quiet Asian blushed at his very presence and started to fidget. Artie, however, seemed oblivious. He also came off as nervous and couldn't even look her in the eye.

"Hey." His feeble greeting told Tina that he was just as surprised at him being here as she was. She looked up and saw that he was still looking at the floor. "What happened to you?"

"Slushie facial. Tripped over my own feet and in a slushie puddle." She muttered, hoping that he would look at her.

"So you and Finn aren't..?" he mumbled, fidgeting with the handle on his wheelchair. "With the whole piggy-back thing, it looked like you two were-" he was cut off by a snort, followed by a giggle-fit. He looked up and saw that Tina had rolled over and was laughing into the pillow. He smiled to himself, knowing that the accusation was ridiculous. When the giggles finally subsided, Tina turned to look at Artie.

"Were you jealous?" she eyed him coyly, and he blushed in response.

"No! I mean, I don't know. Just the kiss.." his sentence drifted into silence as he reminisced about their wheel-chair drag race gone awry. Tina was about to respond, but was interrupted by the nurse, who had come back into the room with something to wrap up her ankle.

"Alright, I need you to hold still to minimize the pain." She warned, and started to wrap the bandage around Tina's ankle. Tina winced at the pain until she felt another hand on her own. She looked over at Artie and he gave her an award-winning smile. As soon as the nurse had finished, she retrieved a crutch from the closet. "You'll be needing this to stay off of that foot. You can return it once you're fully recovered." And with that, she left. Tina stared at the crutch, wondering how on earth she was going to get to classes on time with this stupid thing.

"Man, I can't wait until I can walk properly again", as soon as Tina said this, she automatically regretted it. When she looked up, Artie was already halfway out the door.

"At least _you'll_ get to walk properly", he mumbled, hiding his face from her view. He knew that she would recover from this injury soon, but he liked the idea of them having something in common again.

"Artie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I mean-" she was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say.

"It's ok. Besides, we have to get to glee." He gave her a half smile, and she nodded. Tina soon got to her feet and began to hobble with the crutch under her right arm. Artie could hear every little grunt of pain from her as they both left the nurse's office and began walking, or rolling and limping, down the hallway. After about five minutes, Artie wheeled around and faced Tina. Much to her surprise, he motioned to his lap and gave her a sheepish grin. "Hop on."

"W-what?"

"It'll take us forever to get to glee like this. If you're on my lap, it'll be faster." Tina quietly agreed and hopped on. The proximity between them was overwhelming. Tina couldn't help noticing that Artie's face leveled with her neck and she could feel him breathing ever so slightly. She blushed slightly and tried to look forward, but the distractions were everywhere. She then focused on his arms and watched as they pumped them both down the hallway. Suddenly she became very self-conscious.

"Sorry, I'm probably too heavy for you." Artie just smiled.

"Nope. Light as a feather. Besides, I've built up quite the arm's strength since being in this chair. Don't worry about it" he reassured her. Tina felt herself becoming more relaxed and leaned back into his chest. She could feel Artie tense up a bit, and she sat up straight again.

"Sorry about that." She blushed.

"No, it's not that. It was nice actually." He smiled again and Tina once again leaned into his chest.

Maybe everything was going to be alright.

* * *

THE FLUFF BEGINS! Hope you guys liked that! Artie and Tina aren't happy-go-lucky just yet, we'll see. You know what to do!


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks so much for the reviews guys! It really means a lot. I've been reading my fair share of stories lately, and there are some authors who update like crazy, and I feel like I owe you guys one. I'm not sure when the next update will be, since it's crunch time for exams, so we'll see. Enjoy!

* * *

Tina could not believe this.

She was riding down the hallway, situated on Artie's lap. He was pumping away in order to get both himself and Tina to glee on time. As they rounded the corner and wheeled into the choir room, everyone turned around to stare at them. Mike, Matt and Puck all yelled out some catcalls, while the rest of them just stared in disbelief. Finally, Mercedes broke the silence.

"Dang, Artie, you got game!" she belted out, and everyone erupted in laughter. Tina blushed from embarrassment and quickly got up from his lap. Artie watched her get up with a sullen look on his face, but then brightened up again, remembering where they were. Tina shuffled and limped to the back of his chair to retrieve her crutch and hobbled over to the rest of the glee kids. As she passed Rachel, she could see a gleam in her eye that gave her the impression that she was satisfied.

"How's the ankle?" Kurt asked quietly as everyone got to his or her seats. Tina sat herself at the end of the row so she could be beside Artie.

"F-fine. Besides, I g-got a ride today." Tina smiled sheepishly in Artie's direction, which blushed in return. Once everyone was settled, Mr. Schuester started talking about the next number they were going to rehearse, which was much more fast paced than some of their previous songs. Tina frowned at her disability and noticed that Mr. Schue had stopped talking and he directed his attention towards her.

"Tina, I think that, because of your ankle, you'll have to sit out today. Don't worry, you'll pick up the choreography once you're healed." And with that, all the other glee kids shot her a sympathetic glance and got into their position for rehearsal.

For about an hour Tina sat in her chair, watching the other kids laughing and dancing. Even Artie, who couldn't dance like the rest of them, was showing some impressive wheelies to an astounded Matt and Mike. She could never sit still for very long. One of the things she enjoyed about glee was that she was in motion, all the time. The choreography was simple enough, and she was always moving. She glanced once more at Artie before the group dispersed to go home.

This gave her an idea.

* * *

The next morning, Tina managed to get a ride to school because there was no way she was going to limp all that way. She managed to find Mr. Schuester, talking to Ms. Pillsbury, by the guidance office.

"Mr. Sch-chue?" she stuttered, waiting for him to turn around. Immediately, both sets of eyes were on her, which made her look down at her shoe and bandaged ankle.

"What is it, Tina?" he questioned as Ms. Pillsbury crossed her arms.

"C-can I borrow one of those wheelch-chairs from a c-couple weeks ag-go?" she mentally kicked herself for how that stutter sounded, even if it was fake. "It's so I c-can get around with th-this ankle. And in g-glee. I d-don't wanna miss out." She smiled sheepishly, hoping he would give in. He quickly led her to the choir room and unlocked the closet where the wheelchairs were stored. Not long after, Tina sat outside of the choir room and started to roll down hallway.

'_This isn't so bad'_ she thought. _'We did this for a week in glee. PLUS a wheelchair number. I can totally handle this'_ she smiled, not noticing she had bumped into someone.

"Oh hell to the no! I will cut you!" Mercedes whipped around, ready to fight. Kurt just peered over her shoulder at the Asian, now in a wheelchair. He smiled when Mercedes realized whom she was going to 'cut'. "Tina?"

"H-hey guys." She smiled shyly. "It's so I can get around sch-chool."

"You _do_ realize that this is just another geek magnet?" Kurt pointed towards the hockey team, who were situated not too far down the hallway. She shuddered at the thought of their last encounter. On top of being the school stutterer, she was now confined in a wheelchair. Talk about a double-whammy.

"Tina?" she slowly wheeled herself around to face the familiar voice. Artie stared at her, wide-eyed. Then his face broke into a grin. "I didn't realize the ankle had gotten worse over night, and now you're in a wheelchair." He smiled as he wheeled up to her. She blushed and Mercedes just rolled her eyes.

"Aight, I'll be calling you Wheels number one and two. Just watch out." She warned and she and Kurt bade their farewell and walked away. Artie cocked his head in confusion.

"Watch out for what"? Tina looked at him with a reassuring smile. As soon as she turned around again, her face made contact with yet another cold slushie. She heard the jocks' laughter slowly fade.

"Look! The cripple has found himself a cripple friend. Double the fun for us!" one of them shouted, and the laughter was muted as the turned a corner. Tina furiously tried to get the corn syrup out of her eyes and looked over at Artie. She frowned when she saw that he was doused in slushie as well. He had taken off his glasses and was cleaning then profusely with a pocket-handkerchief. Tina's heart sank.

"I'm sorry, Artie. If I wasn't in this wheelchair, I wouldn't have attracted the extra attention you didn't already need." She hung her head, trying to get some slushie out of her long strands.

"It's ok. As long as it wasn't a patriotic wedgie right?" he chuckled. Tina couldn't help but laugh. His laugh was, after all, highly contagious. He slowly reached out to her face. "You've still got some slush-" Tina's head snapped up, looking at him in shock. He slowly wiped away some corn syrup from the corner of her mouth and chin. His touch was exhilarating. He could probably feel how fast her heart was beating. She looked into his eyes and couldn't get herself out of them. She smiled and returned the favour.

"You've got some too." She smiled, and reached out to clean some slushie off of his forehead. She could feel the heat from his skin, an obvious sign he was blushing. "Come on, let's get us cleaned up". She called as she wheeled away. Artie was eager to follow with a smile on his face.

* * *

So what did you guys think? Please remember to review so that I know what to work on in future. Thanks a bunch and happy reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey gang! Thanks again for the reviews, they mean a ton! So here I am, on a Friday night, providing you guys with an update. It's lame I know, but I'm still studying for exams, and this is just an excuse for a break. And for the record, I realize that this story packs a lot of fluff, but I am a hopeless romantic so fluff is what you'll get! Hopefully not too unrealistic, I just….can't write angst haha. However, this story does have a plot and some angst near the end, but I'm working on it! So bear with me. Enjoy!

* * *

"I really don't know how to girls manage to fully cleanse yourselves after a slushie bath. "Artie chuckled, handing Tina her sweater. They were both situated in the handicapped washroom, which in itself was a compact space. Both of their wheelchairs barely fit. Tina couldn't help but laugh.

Luckily, the slushie incident left the halls pretty empty. Artie suggested they head towards the handicapped washroom so that they could both wash themselves off without dealing with the reactions of fellow students when they found either one of them out of place in their respective washrooms. Getting to the specialized washroom was another story altogether. Both teens still had a bit of corn syrup in their eyes, making it almost impossible to make it to down the hallway. Artie was worse of, however, due to the fact that he had removed his glasses as well. The trip consisted of Tina running into Mr. Schuester and Artie running into an open door, where the class inside erupted in laughter. The teacher walked outside of classroom only to see two kids in wheelchairs, cackling as they rolled down the hallway as fast as they could.

"It's not that bad, once you get into routine." she smiled, drying off the rest of her hair. It had taken a good hour to finally be clean of the stuff. Tina had no idea how Rachel could handle being bullied like this daily, sometimes twice a day. Suddenly she grabbed a paper towel and leaned over to Artie, who was situated only centimeters from where she was. She then proceeded to mess up his hair with it. Artie was caught off guard and suddenly his arms were flailing, trying to get her to stop.

"Hey, stop that! Oh come on." He whined, and she finally stopped. It was quite a sight to behold: Artie sat there in his chair, arms crossed, with hair going in every direction. The look on his face was not amused, but Tina doubled over, laughing so hard her sides hurt. When she looked up, he had a sheepish grin on his face as he pulled out a trusty comb and began to put his hair back into place.

"That's handy, wish I had one of those." Tina sighed, annoyed with the state of her hair. Out of lack of effort, she simply pulled her hair into a multi-coloured ponytail.

"At least you can pull it back. My hair isn't long enough." He smiled. "Besides, Kurt would die of shock if that happens." Tina smiled, knowing that Kurt would probably go into cardiac arrest. "Don't think I don't know that he talks about my fashion sense-or lack there of." He concluded, showing the slight hint of a frown.

"Come on, it's not that bad. He's just very high strung."

"Yeah. Besides, I've got other things to worry about, like functioning on a daily basis." Tina started to protest, but he stopped her. "Which reminds me, you've got to work on your ramp skills."

"My what?"

"Ramp skills. Yeah, you guys used them when we did Proud Mary, and I'm sure you're rusty." He pulled open the door and Tina followed him out.

"Thanks, Artie. For putting up with this. It's gotta be hard having to worry about yourself, let alone someone who doesn't know how to work on of these." She blushed, and Artie chuckled in response.

"Anything for a friend."

_Right. We're just friends._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

"You ready?"

Tina sat at the top of the ramp with Artie. They were situated on the ramp right outside of the school, which was, in fact, a bit steeper than the ones they had used for Proud Mary. _Damn my ankle!_ She thought furiously. "I d-don't know."

"Remember what I said. It's all about how you apply the brakes." He instructed. She looked down at the wheels at her side and nodded slowly. "I'll show you" and with that, Artie rolled himself down the ramp and slowly applied the brakes, coming to a smooth stop. In a smooth turn, he faced Tina at the bottom. "See? Nothing to it."

So there she went. She completely let go of the wheels as she sped down the ramp, totally losing control. She was heading straight for Artie in a head on collision.

"Apply the brakes!" he yelled in a panic. Just as he was about to hit him, she grabbed the wheels with her un-gloved hands. In one foul swoop her wheelchair screeched, her hands slipped from the wheels and flew right out of the chair…

_Ooomph!_

…straight into Artie's lap.

* * *

I know that the whole collision thing seems a little farfetched but hey, I wanted to be humorous. Review please:) They make me happy in these stressful times haha


	6. Chapter 6

**HOLIDAY TIME! I'm finally done with exams, and sitting down at home with my puppies, wearing my santa hat and ready to write. I'm sad that ff had been acting weird and not sending out alerts, so be sure to check out the last chapter as well. Don't worry to review. They are like Christmas presents! Yaaaay.**

* * *

_What just happened?_

Tina groaned and slowly opened her eyes. As her vision came into focus, she noticed that her head was pressed again a hard surface. She also noted that this surface was kind of soft. A sweater most likely, she thought. Suddenly, her eyes were fixated on the said sweater and her heart raced like crazy. Her eyes shifted to see a set of hands clutch the wheels on either side of her. She looked up and saw Artie looking forward, his face frozen like stone. She started to get up, and was caught by a hand on her arm. She tensed at the touch, and turned to look Artie in the eyes. She expected to see a stern look, for which she was ready to apologize profusely for. However, she was met with a warm pair of eyes. His glasses had slid down the bridge of his nose during the collision, and he was watching her over the rim, his blue eyes gazing into hers.

"Tina." He began softly. Immediately, Tina flushed with embarrassment and got up. Totally forgetting about her ankle, her leg buckled under the pain and she nearly fell over. Lucky for her, Artie caught her in the nick of time. "Come sit" he insisted, and she agreed, situating herself on his lap.

Suddenly, flashbacks started to swim in her head. She had first sat here when she first sprained her stupid ankle. It felt so…_intimate_. She couldn't help but blush. Her heart started to swell as well. Artie hadn't objected their intimate interactions, and they set her hopes pretty high for things to get back to how they were. Maybe even more.

"How's the ankle?" he interrupted her thought process. She proceeded to lift her leg up and examine the swelled ankle. She looked at it quizzically, resting it on Artie's footrest.

"Fine. Only a couple more days now." She smiled, before detecting the smile disappear from his face.

"You know, I've really enjoyed the time we've spent together." He started to say, fumbling over his own words. He looked thoughtful.

"We always do." She smiled. He nodded in agreement.

"Not just that. Every since you started using the wheelchair, I feel the connection coming back." He smiled again, and she blushed.

_This is it._

She looked at his face, studying his features. Before she knew it, she slowly removed his glasses. To her amusement, he started to flail his arms in horror.

"I'm blind!" he squeaked, and she burst into laughter. After the chuckles had subsided, Tina stiffened when Artie's hands fell and one of them happened to land oh her thigh, and subconsciously began rubbing the fabric with his thumb.

So she went for it. For the second time, Tina leaned in and kissed Artie, full on the lips. At first she could feel he was tense, but after a moment he relaxed and returned the kiss. However, after a moment he pulled away and studied her face.

"Tina…" he began, at a loss for words. Tina knew what he was going to say, even without him being able to finish a sentence. "I can't do this."

Suddenly, she could feel her stomach tie itself into knots. She couldn't look him in the eyes. He didn't want her, and that was that. He was never going to be able to trust her fully again, and the pain of the realization was just too much. She could feel the tears begin to sting, but she wouldn't let them fall. She quickly pulled her arm up to her eyes and whipped away the evidence. Artie eyed her with a concerning look.

"Tee, I'm sorry." He whispered.

"It's ok, I should have known better. You're still mad at me about the stutter." She choked, still not being able to look at him. Her heart wrenched at the silence.

"I'm not mad." He reassured. "It's just…"

She could take it anymore. She wiggled out of his grasp in anger and tried to stand by herself. She hauled herself into her own wheelchair and got a good grip on the wheels. Artie could get a good look at her mascara-smeared cheeks and frowned. He attempted to reach out to her face, but she flinched away.

"Don't." she huffed.

"We had a connection, Tina." He started to explain "I thought I had lost our friendship when you told me the truth. And now, we have a connection again." He smiled, gesturing to the wheelchairs. She stared at him, wide-eyed when she came to a realization.

"You're afraid of what will happen when my ankle heals?" she watched him carefully. He was looking down at his gloved hand, while he anxiously flexed his fingers.

"Tina.." he began again.

"I've heard enough. You only liked me for my disability anyways." She huffed, turning around abruptly and wheeling towards the parking lot. As soon as her back was turned, she let all the tears in the world flow down her cheeks. Now she knew that her chances with Artie were beyond blown and there was nothing she could do to sew them back together.

* * *

**OH THE ANGST! Don't worry folks, it won't last long. I know it's kind of a crappy way to end things off before Christmas, but I was running out of ideas. I hope you'll all forgive me! Please remember to review and happy holidays!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey gang! i'm back in full swing after all that angst, ready to write! I'm hoping to wrap this story up with some fluff, and that should occur in a chapter or two. Hope everyone had a great holiday and everyone has been enjoying this story, and the reviews mean a lot! Cheers!**

* * *

She felt like a ghost.

Not that she wasn't usually a ghost. She made it a daily ritual to avoid certain crowds, but the awkwardness with Artie made it seem all the more real. She had wheeled away from him in anger, leaving him in the dust. However, she was stalled by the ramp, and spent a good ten minutes trying to wheel herself up the slope, cursing at herself with every push. With every inch of her being she hoped that Artie would wheel up behind and put a hand on her shoulder and tell her everything was okay.

He never came.

So here she was, in the girl's bathroom, hugging her knees to her chest and trying to dry her eyes. Luckily school was out, leaving her to linger in her own silence. All she could do was revel in what she had done.

What it _wrong_ to kiss him? She didn't think so. She was ecstatic that they had become friends again, and beyond her wildest dreams that something more came out of it. However, Artie never came out and told her upfront that she was forgiven, so it dawned on her that it was too good to be true.

Suddenly she heard voices coming from outside the door, approaching with every second. Before Tina could scramble to get herself together, Brittany walked into the washroom, fresh from Cheerio practice. "Hi Tina." She greeted non-chalantly as she strolled to the mirror to re-apply some make-up.

"Hi." She mumbled, finally getting to her feet and grabbing a paper towel to try and clean her face. A couple of minutes passed in silence before either one of them spoke.

"Here," Brittany chirped, handing Tina a bottle from her backpack, "it'll help with the smudge."

_Did she just say something that made sense?_ Tina nodded and grabbed the bottle from her. After another couple of minutes, when Brittany was turning to leave, she was stopped. "Hey, c-could you bring this chair back to the choir r-room? I don't need it anymore." She frowned. Brittany agreed and took both the handle and headed out the door.

"Hey, Artie has one of these." Then left.

_Yes, yes he does._ Tina looked down at her ankle. She then hobbled down to the nurse's office and requested that she have her crutch again, since she couldn't bear being in the wheelchair.

* * *

He dropped his books. _Again_.

This wasn't usually a problem for Artie, but for now, his mind was elsewhere. He had not been himself all day, not acknowledging his friends in the hallway, or giving correct answers in class. He was just…._there_.

What exactly went wrong? He knew he hadn't forgiven Tina just yet, but he _was_ on the verge. Then she had to go and knock his socks off with an unexpected kiss. He wanted her badly, but he tried to hang on to at least a shred of pride. When he passed her in the hallway, both looked down in embarrassment. He just couldn't sum up courage to talk to her about what happened. He knew that she would still be upset. Did she really think he only liked her for her disability?

Why did he have to go and say that? _Such an idiot._

"Hey Wheels." This startled Artie, and he slowly wheeled himself around to come face to face with Puck, of all people.

"Look, I'm not really in the mood for a patriotic wedgie, or having my wheels taped together. Maybe some other time." He huffed, putting his books in his backpack.

"Woah, and why would I do something like that?" Puck looked taken aback. He ran his hand over his mohawk. Artie just looked at him with a quizzical brow.

"You mean you're not going to?" he asked.

"Changed man." He retorted.

"If you say so."

"Hey! I dated Berry for a week! That's definitely changing my standards." He exclaimed. Artie couldn't help but laugh. No one in the glee club could quite figure out how those two got together. "So what did _you_ do to stutterfly?"

"What do you mean, what did _I_ do?" now he was officially confused. Puck just shrugged.

"Mercedes forced me to come talk, since apparently I have _influence_," he air-quoted, while looking all macho, "and if I didn't, she would take me to the rug." He shuddered at the thought. Artie couldn't help but laugh at the image that popped into his head.

"So you're scared of Mercedes?" he chuckled.

"Hey! I just didn't want to cause a fight. She's pretty fierce." He joked. "So you and stutterfly?"

"_Stutterfly_ has a name you know."

"Old habits die hard. Point is, Mercedes says you hurt her bad, and she will take you down if you don't fix it." It was Artie's turn to shudder. He wouldn't stand a chance in a match against her.

"She won't even talk to me."

"Tell me about it." Puck sighed, leaning against the locker. Artie didn't know what to do, so he just fidgeted. Finally, Puck spoke up again. "A song."

"What?"

"A song. Girls dig that shit. How do you think I landed all those cougars? Oh, and my badass pecs." He announced, quite pleased with himself. Artie just blushed.

"Puck, I don't-"

"Look, my rep is suffering because I'm interacting with you, so be grateful. Remember: A song, or Beyonce will take you down." And with that, he strutted down the hallway, leaving Artie alone with his thoughts.

_'This might just be the thing I need. Although I don't have the pecs to fall back on if it doesn't work.' _He thought to himself before heading home.

* * *

**Yay! A plan is in the works! Remember to review!** **And feel free to drop me a line some time, i'd love to get to know some of my reviewers as well as fellow Tartie authors:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**FINAL CHAPTER.**

* * *

"There you are, good as new." The nurse reassured Tina, wrapping up the final wrap of bandage. "Now you be careful. We don't need you coming back here next week." She winked before disappearing into the next room. Tina nodded and proceeded to stretch out her leg and examined her ankle.

"Good as new." Kurt repeated, examining his nails as he leaned against the doorframe, while Mercedes helped Tina to her feet. "And you'll be able to match in footwear again, thank goodness." Tina couldn't help but laugh at the thought of her mismatched shoes because of the bandage.

"Now you'll be able to strut down the hallways again." Mercedes chimed in, beaming. "Watch out boys!"

The thought of boys made Tina thoughts rush back to Artie. It had only been a couple of days since she stormed out on him, and she was afraid that her being able to walk again would create another void between them. She felt her stomach drop and she gulped to prevent the tears.

"Thanks, guys." She stammered before rushing out of the nurse's office, with the excuse that she would be late for class. Kurt and Mercedes exchanged nervous glances.

"I thought you said you took care of this." Kurt sighed, linking his arm with hers. Mercedes just huffed.

"I thought I did. It's time to take Puck to the rug."

* * *

Never in his sixteen years of life did he think that he would end up strumming guitars with Puck.

After their more than awkward encounter in the hallway, Puck had secretly offered to help Artie win over Tina with a song. His own motives were that Quinn would see he had a soft spot and maybe be with him, and that's all that mattered. So here they were, strumming away.

"You could always sing Sweet Caroline. I won over Berry with that one." He suggested.

"No." Artie thought for a moment. "When I think of that song, I think of Rachel, and how irritating she can be." Puck let out a snort.

"Point taken."

"Why did you go out with her? Everyone knows she only likes Finn."

"She's hot. Plus we're a couple of good-looking Jews. Need I say more?"

In a way, Artie was jealous of Puck's ability to have any girl he wants. He sometimes wished that the accident happened later, so that he would have some dating expertise under his belt. But he was an inexperience geek at best and couldn't hold on to the one girl that mattered most. "I suppose." He sighed.

"It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out there is something between you two." Puck pointed out.

"What?"

"You know, chemistry and stuff. Besides, I'm here with a mission. Everyone would kill me if you two were still mad at each other at Sectionals. Especially Mercedes." They both shuddered. "So, what's her favourite song?"

Artie had to think about this. Ever since he could remember, they had always swapped ipods and listened to each other's music. Tina's music had such a wide range, he couldn't possibly choose.

"What about that True Colours song? She kept looking at you the whole time she was singing it." Puck admitted. He had a point, Artie thought. That song had such emotion behind it, and it fit Tina perfectly, what with her trying to regain his trust after their disastrous first date.

"That's a girl's song, Puck."

"Didn't stop Kurt, now did it?" he retorted.

"Point taken."

"Just strum along and sing". With that, Puck bade his farewell and left Artie up on the stage to figure this out on his own.

* * *

The strumming of guitar strings was what drew Tina closer to the auditorium with every step. She knew what she would find there, but didn't really want to face it. It was her instinct that drew her closer, and her emotions were in constant conflict, knowing that the encounter would only end in more tears. She wanted to be his best friend so badly, maybe even more, and she knew that it was out of her reach.

She slowly opened the auditorium door and peered in. Artie was perched on the stage, guitar in hand, strumming away. She couldn't help but get butterflies every time he picked up a guitar, which was pretty often. She couldn't bear to go inside, so she just listened. However, the door being slightly opened gave her away due to the acoustics of the room. Artie's head shot up and their eyes met for a brief moment. She summed up all the courage she had and slowly walked into the auditorium. She was halfway down the aisle before Artie put the guitar to his side and rested his gloved hands in his lap.

"You're walking again." He commented. Her heart sank.

"Artie, I wa-"

"No, don't say anything." He said mildly. "The wheelchair didn't suit you anyways." He smiled, and her spirits were lifted once more, if only for a moment. "Come sit" he requested, and she quietly took a seat in the front row. "I have something for you. You can thank Puck and the rest of glee club for this. Mr. Schue always said to express your feelings through song, and I know this is your favourite."

He picked up the guitar and began to strum a couple chords. Tina immediately recognized the song and her chest tightened immediately. This was _her_ song, and he was about to serenade her with it.

_You with the sad eyes  
don't be discouraged  
oh I realize  
it's hard to take courage_

He had somehow re-vamped the song, putting in a style that was his own. He layered the melody with his own smoky baritone and it made her eyes water. The message itself was enough to put her over the edge.

_But I see your true colors  
shining through  
I see your true colors  
and that's why I love you  
so don't be afraid to let them show  
your true colors  
true colors are beautiful  
like a rainbow_

"Artie, stop." She insisted. The strumming stopped immediately and he looked up with worried eyes. Those eyes grew wider with concern when he realized that Tina was crying.

"Tina, I'm sorry if I've upset you." He apologized, setting the guitar aside once more. He fidgeted nervously with his glasses as she tried to wipe away the tears.

"No, it was beautiful." She stammered, making her way to the stage and as she reached Artie, she bent over and enveloped him in a huge hug. Artie sighed contently as he took in the scent of her hair and rubbed her back soothingly.

"What you did, with the wheelchair, really meant a lot to me." He began, not knowing what else to say. "I know I've been the worst kind of friend to you since you told me about the stutter. But I also realized that there is so much more to you than a silly speech impediment." Tina looked at him and found his hand, slowly intertwining their fingers. "You're beautiful, smart, and always make me laugh." He smiled, and she returned the affection. "I know you asked for forgiveness, but I think I am the one that needs forgiving. Can we be friends again?" and her response was another enormous hug. "So, can we go back to where we were before?"

Tina looked at him with a quizzical brow, then slowly leaned in and pressed her lips against his. After a moment, she could feel him kissing her back and she smiled. After a couple of minutes they pulled apart, totally breathless.

"I meant as friends." Artie chuckled, leaning in for more, "but this works too."

* * *

**THE END. And there you have it! It's typical of me to end it on a fluffy note. Hope you guys enjoyed it! thanks to all you faithful reviewers out there. Your positive encouragement has kept me going and i've loved reading all of your stories as well. I won't be writing anything for a while, since my hectic semester of school has started, but i'll keep reviewing all of your lovely stories so keep at it! and reviews are love!**

**xopip**


End file.
